


Witches & Water

by imagineteamfreewill



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Curses, F/M, Mermaid!Reader, Mermaids, Witch Curses, Witches, the reader gets turned into a mermaid, the reader is almost asphyxiated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 21:06:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18157046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imagineteamfreewill/pseuds/imagineteamfreewill
Summary: The reader is cursed to become a mermaid while on a hunt with Team Free Will. She stays with Dean while Sam and Cas look for a solution, but the prospects look bleak.





	Witches & Water

**Author's Note:**

> This was a commission and was originally posted on my tumblr account of the same name on March 15th, 2019.

When the witch threw you against the paneled bathroom wall, you didn’t expect to be immediately plunged into a bathtub of freezing cold water. It was a shock to your system, and when Cas finally reached in with one hand and pulled you out a second later, you were already shivering violently.

“Jesus, Cas, she’s freezing!” Dean said, already wrapping his arms around your shoulders as you stepped out of the tub. You leaned into his warmth, ignoring the way your heart did a little pitter-patter when he pulled you a little more into his side.

Cas reached forward and pressed two fingers to your forehead. Your clothes were dry in an instant and the shivering stopped a moment later as your body adjusted to its sudden warmth. Even the cut you’d gotten from hitting your arm on the sharper edge of the rectangular faucet was gone. Dean let go of you when he noticed you were dry, and it took everything you had not to let your disappointment show.

“You okay?” Dean asked.

Before you could answer, Sam spoke up from behind you. “Hey guys? Take a look at this water. I don’t think that what Y/N fell into was a regular bath…”

You turned, anxiety tying your stomach into knots as you laid eyes on the shimmering, purple water that filled the tub. Dean met your eyes and you swallowed thickly, looking back at the bathtub once more. The water shimmered and swirled, clearly laced with the witch’s powerful magic.

“How are you feeling, Y/N?” Cas asked. You shrugged helplessly, standing still as he placed his fingers on your forehead once more. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment before he finally stepped back and looked at the boys. “I don’t sense anything unusual. She seems perfectly normal.”

Sam glanced over at his brother. “What now?”

Dean shook his head, at a loss. “I guess we wait. As far as we know, the spell could’ve died with the witch. Maybe nothing bad happened.”

“That’s a pipedream and you know it,” you scoffed. Sam and Dean turned to look at you and you offered them a weak smile. “I’m fine for now, at least. I just want to take a shower. I mean, I look like someone rolled me in glitter glue.” You held up an arm for them to see, and, much to your relief, Dean let out a tiny laugh when he noticed the thin coating of glitter covering your jacket sleeve and the exposed skin of your wrist.

“As long as nothing happens on your drive to the motel, I don’t see any harm in a shower,” Cas added, and both boys nodded in agreement. 

As you walked with Sam and Dean to the car, leaving Cas to clean up the witch’s remains and the tub of magical water, you let yourself be relieved that you weren’t cursed, at least for the time being. The last time you’d been under a spell, you’d spent a whole afternoon relaying every waking thought aloud to Sam. He hadn’t been too pleased to hear you rant about the owls perched outside the abandoned house you were squatting in, and you smiled a little at the memory as you slid into the backseat of the Impala.

The drive to the motel was filled with talk of possible curses and both boys shooting concerned glances at you from the front of the car. Finally, Dean parked outside the room and you climbed out, stretching your arms above your head and ignoring the boys’ stares. 

“Either of you need to use the bathroom before I go shower? No? Great.” You didn’t wait for either of them to respond before making your way into the room, tossing your room key and jacket onto the tiny table as you passed by. After grabbing your bag of toiletries and some clean clothes, you closed the bathroom door behind you. You heard Sam and Dean come into the room as you turned on the water, and you could vaguely hear them discussing the hunt and your potential curse as you stripped off your glitter-covered clothes.

Stepping into the shower, you closed your eyes and let the water run over your face and down your body. A tingling sensation in your legs made you look down, and you let out a cry when you realized that your feet and legs were beginning to meld together. It looked like something out of a horror movie and all you could do was watch in absolute panic. A tail had formed from the limbs before you even understood what was happening. Shiny scales appeared where your skin had been and a long, flowy fin replaced your feet.

You cried out for the boys, your voice a whole octave higher as you struggled to keep your balance. The tail wasn’t near as sturdy as your legs, however, and you slipped, falling to the floor of the grimy bathtub as they burst in through the door with their guns at the ready. You screamed when you fell, pulling the mildew-covered shower curtain down with you in a last-ditch effort to stay upright.

“What the hell?” Dean asked, but you were too focused on your new tail to look up at him. The scales were the same shade of purple as the water you’d fallen into when the witch had attacked you and tears filled your eyes when you realized what had happened.

“Oh my God,” you choked out. “She turned me into a mermaid!”

The shower curtain was more than disgusting, but it was covering your naked upper half and you were grateful for it when you realized that both boys were staring at you with wide eyes. When they didn’t look away from the tail as you began to cry, you slapped your heavy fin against the side of the dirty bathtub in frustration. Water was still pouring down from the showerhead, rolling off the shower curtain and pooling on the floor at their feet.

“Stop staring and help me!”

That snapped them out of it. Both Sam and Dean averted their eyes, fumbling for words as they looked at anything but you and your tail. Dean quickly reached out and turned off the water, avoiding touching you all the while.

“I’ll call Cas,” Sam finally stammered out. He made a quick exit and you watched him go, pulling your arms out from under the shower curtain to wipe at your eyes.

“Can you get me a shirt? And a towel?” you asked Dean. “Please?”

He nodded and followed his brother out the door, returning a minute later with his pajama shirt. “I brought an extra and you normally don’t,” he explained when you stared at him in confusion.

Nodding, you took the shirt, then accepted the thin towel he held out for you a moment later. After clumsily drying yourself off, you pulled the worn t-shirt over your head. Dean had turned away from you to politely stare at the wall, and you took a second to appreciate the fact that he was still a gentleman, even in the strangest of circumstances.

_ At least my hopeless crush is on someone who’s a great guy when it really matters. _

After you were appropriately clothed, you wrinkled your nose in disgust and tried to push the shower curtain off of you. It was too big for you to push it off over the entirety of your new tail, which didn’t even fit in the tub. The bottom third of the limb draped over the side and the right side of your fin was brushing against the outside of the toilet bowl, which made you shudder.

_ Don’t think about the germs, _ you told yourself.  _ Focus on getting the shower curtain off and then breaking the spell. _

“Here, let me help,” Dean said, suddenly reaching out to gather up the shower curtain and pull it off you. He shoved it in the space on the floor underneath the counter and you gave him a grateful smile when he turned back to face you.

“Thanks.” He nodded silently in response, his eyes flicking down to your tail once more before quickly looking away. “It’s okay,” you sighed after a second. “You can look. I’m still getting used to the sight of it, too.”

Dean reluctantly looked back at your tail, then closed the toilet lid and sat down. “How do you feel?”

You thought for a moment, then replied, “Okay, I guess. I mean, it doesn’t feel… bad. The air in here’s a little dry, though.”

“It’s pretty humid in here, Y/N,” Dean answered. His eyebrows were furrowed in concern as you took another deep breath, not believing him. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, I think…”

Dean nodded again and you sat in silence, hesitantly running your fingers over the scales on your tail. They were smooth, but not slimy, like you’d originally expected. You could hear Sam talking on the phone with Cas in the other room, but your brain was starting to feel fuzzy.

“Do you think—” You stopped, trying to catch your breath. The air was dryer and thinner than it had been a minute ago and it was like your lungs couldn’t quite get all the oxygen they needed. Dean was watching you with obvious concern as you took another deep breath, your lungs stuttering in your chest.

“Dean?” you wheezed, reaching out a hand for him when you realized that it was becoming increasingly hard to breathe with every passing second. “Dean, I can’t breathe. I can’t— Something’s wrong!”

He was on his feet in an instant. “Sam! Sam, she can’t breathe!”

Sam ran into the room, his phone in his hand as he looked you over. You were still gasping for breath and you looked over at him, desperately reaching for one of them.

“I can’t breathe— Sam, I can’t— Cas—”

His mouth gaping open, Sam frantically looked you over before his eyes finally landed on your neck. “Dean, she’s got gills. She can’t breathe air, she needs to be underwater!”

“Well she can’t fit in the bathtub, Sam, so unless you can convince the motel owner to buy a pool for us, we’re out of options!

“Please—” you gasped. “Ocean!”

The brothers looked at each other for a split-second before Dean sprung into action. Throwing a towel over your tail, he gathered you up in his arms and picked you up, carrying you through the motel room and out to the Impala. You coughed and gasped for air all the while, your vision tinged with black as Sam slid into the front seat and started the car. The car turned out of the motel parking lot and you passed out, Dean’s worried face floating in your mind as you slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

High-pitched clicks made you open your eyes, and you squinted at the brightness that greeted you. Someone was poking you in the side and you whined, swatting at them.

“Dean, leave me alone!”

The clicks came again, but this time you heard a not-Dean-someone say, “Ouch!” when you reached out with an arm and swatted them again.

Confused, you rolled over and blinked in confusion, scrambling up into a sitting position when you realized that you were staring at a dolphin. Panic filled you as you looked around, your eyes finally landing on your tail.

“Oh my God,” you murmured, slowly taking in your surroundings. “I’m…”

“Are you okay?”

Your eyes flicked back to the dolphin. “Did you… talk?”

If you hadn’t known any better, you would’ve thought that the dolphin looked annoyed with you. “Of course I talked. How else am I supposed to communicate?”

“Oh God,” you whispered. You ran your hand through your hairs, wincing when they caught against a tangle. “Oh my God.”

“You keep saying that,” the dolphin said, sounding exasperated. “Are you sure you’re okay? I have things to do.”

“I’m not supposed to be here!” you finally cried. “I’m  _ human. _ I’m not supposed to be a mermaid! I shouldn’t be able to breathe underwater!”

The dolphin let out a startled squeal as you pushed upwards, launching yourself off the sandy ocean floor and towards the surface. A boat was floating above you and you slowed as you neared it. You had much more control over the tail than you could’ve ever imagined, and as you neared the boat you realized that if you were seen, your situation could get even worse than they already were. Not only would the curse never be lifted, but you could be stuck living as an experiment for the rest of your life.

Luckily, a familiar face appeared in front of you as you were debating whether or not to surface. Dean, in all his glory, had jumped into the water and sent a flurry of bubbles floating upwards as he submerged himself, still fully clothed.

“Dean!” you cried, swimming over to him. The shirt he’d given you floated around you and you quickly pulled it down with one hand, using the other to grab onto his flannel and help pull him up to the edge of the white yacht. 

Dean eagerly grabbed onto the ladder and climbed up to the deck, breathing heavily. You watched from the water, holding back a laugh when he grumbled upon realizing that  _ all _ of his clothes were soaked, not just the outer layer.

“Where are we?” you asked after Sam had gotten him settled.

The yacht rocked as Sam leaned slightly over the side to look down at you. “Somewhere off the coast of Santa Cruz,” he answered. “A whale-watching boat went past a few minutes ago—you’re lucky you didn’t decide to come up then. How long have you been awake?”

“Only a few minutes. A dolphin woke me up…”

Sam’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “A dolphin?”

You nodded. “How long have we been out here?”

The boat rocked again as Dean moved, and a moment later, his head popped over the side as well. “An hour or two. We didn’t think you’d make it,” he reluctantly told you. “You passed out before we were even nearing the docks. The motel was pretty far away from the beach.”

Smiling slightly, you remembered how he’d complained that the three of you wouldn’t be able to walk to the beach after the case was over. He’d never been a fan of taking the Impala into sandy beach parking lots, which meant that walking was the only option when it came to vacations.

“Well… I’m here, and I’m alive. Have we found out anything about the curse? And how did you get this yacht?” you asked, looking down the boat’s length. It was a nice boat. No doubt they’d had to pull some strings to get it.

Dean grinned at you. “Agent Plant’s got some pull in Santa Cruz.” You couldn’t help but laugh a little at the mischievous glint in his eyes, but Sam only scoffed at his brother’s excitement.

His expression turned more serious as he looked back at you.  “It turns out the curse has a timer on it. Cas found the spell in a book that the witch had left lying open, and if we don’t lift it by sunrise…” Sam trailed off and you nodded slightly, knowing the words he’d left unsaid.

_ Sunrise, _ you thought, looking towards the horizon. The sun was already starting to get lower in the sky and it had already been a little past one when the three of you had first arrived back at the motel. That meant that you had less than twenty-four hours to lift the curse, and you weren’t going to be much help if you were confined the ocean.

_ Not that the ocean’s much of a confinement, _ you reminded yourself.

“Cas and I are gonna do some more research back at the motel,” Sam said, pulling your attention away from the sky. “Dean can stay here with you and make sure that nothing happens. Somehow he’s got service out here, so we can call if we find anything.”

Nodding, you pulled yourself closer to the boat, your tail bumping against the curved bottom. “Please hurry.”

“We will, Y/N. I promise.”

You and Dean remained silent as Sam called Cas, who appeared only moments later and gave you a reassuring smile before disappearing once more, this time with Sam in tow. The waves lapped at the side of the boat and you looked down at your tail, wondering if it would really be so bad to be stuck as a mermaid forever.

_ Yes, _ you decided after a minute.  _ It would. _

“You seem pretty calm,” Dean finally said, and you looked back up at him, shrugging slightly.

“We’ve been through worse. I mean, I don’t think I know what I’d do if I end up getting stuck like this, but for right now… I’ve still got some hope to hold onto.”

Dean nodded in agreement, his face pensive. “Listen, Y/N—”

You held up a hand, shifting your grip on the ladder and wrapping one arm around the side rail so your hands were free to move as you said, “If you’re gonna give me some kind of last words or something, I don’t want to hear them. It’s just gonna make me sad.”

Though he still looked like he wanted to say something, Dean nodded again and looked back at the man captaining the boat. He was standing stock-still inside the cabin and you wondered if he’d been paid off or if the boys had scared him into not leaving his position. Your attention was torn away from him by Dean moving away from you, shrugging off his wet flannel.

“You’re not leaving me, are you?” you asked, unable to keep your voice from rising in pitch as fear crept in.

Shaking his head, Dean pulled his undershirt over his head and threw it down onto the deck with a wet plop, then began to unbuckle his belt.

“Dean, what are you doing? Put your clothes back on!”

“Relax, Y/N. I’m just gonna get in the water but I don’t want all my clothes to get wet again,” Dean answered. He glanced down at you before turning away again to take off his boots, socks, and then strip off his wet jeans. Once he was undressed except his boxers, he began climbing down the ladder. You pushed away from the bottom of the ladder and averted your eyes as he climbed down, feeling your cheeks flush at the sight of him, despite the fact that you’d seen him dressed in only his underwear multiple times before. You’d lived out of motel rooms with the boys for a year or two before they’d found the bunker, and that hadn’t allowed for much privacy.

“You really use that thing well,” Dean said when he reached the bottom, interrupting your thoughts.

“Excuse me?” you asked as you turned to look at him.

He gave you a cheeky grin. “I meant that you’re swimming with the mermaid tail like you’ve been doing it for years. It looks natural.”

You blushed slightly and looked down at your tail through the water. “Right, yeah.”

“What did you think I meant?”

“Nothing! I just didn’t hear you.”

“Uhuh,” Dean teased. 

Lifting your head again, you squinted at him, trying to ignore the way his smile made your insides flip-flop. “Knock it off, you idiot.” You shoved your tail forward, making an underwater current and pushing it towards him.

“Hey!” he protested, using his hand to push a small wave at you. It splashed you in the face and you sputtered in indignation, pushing your own at him. Soon, you and Dean were splashing each other back and forth with hands, arms, legs, and tail. It was a full-fledged splashing match, and you didn’t even realize how much fun you’d been having till he lifted his hands in surrender, begging for a truce.

Dean, his hair now soaking wet and sticking flat against his forehead, was grinning from ear to ear as he paddled back to the side of the boat and grabbed onto the ladder once more. He was breathing heavily when you ducked underwater, breathing in deeply to gather as much oxygen from the water as you could. You felt like a million bucks almost immediately, and you carefully filed that fact away. If you were doomed to spend the rest of your life as a mermaid, it was worth noting that you could go above the surface of the water, but eventually you’d have to come back down in order to breathe.

_ The Little Mermaid never mentioned the gills, _ you thought as you watched Dean’s legs lazily kick back and forth. Below you, you could see the dolphin from before watching you. A few more had joined it and you waved slightly. They quickly swam away and you couldn’t help but chuckle. They were a lot like cats—playful, but wary of things they didn’t know or understand. Though, in all fairness, you’d be just as wary if an unconscious person suddenly showed up in your house and claimed that they weren’t actually supposed to be a human being.

After a few moments, you swam up to the top once more. Dean’s eyes were on you as soon as you breached the surface.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

You shrugged. “Fine, I guess. It’s easier to breathe underwater than it is to breathe up here on the surface, but it doesn’t seem to be as bad as it was back at the motel. Maybe it’s because the rest of me is totally submerged?”

Dean nodded thoughtfully. Before he could ask anything else, the sound of his phone ringing up on the deck of the yacht made you both look up. He climbed up the ladder without missing a beat, drying one hand on the slightly damp towel he’d been using before answering the call.

“Whatcha got for me, Sam?”

You strained to listen in as Dean started pacing towards the center of the deck, leaving you floating alone. The waves lapped at the side of the yacht, breaking the silence, and somewhere in the distance a gull cried, which meant that you weren’t as far from shore as you’d thought. 

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Dean came back and started climbing down the ladder again. He didn’t say a word until he was back in the water with you, and even then you didn’t hear what he said the first time he spoke.

“What did you say? Dean, what did Sam say?”

“They can’t find anything, Y/N. They’re still looking, but as of right now… It’s not looking too good. I’m sorry, kid. We’re trying our hardest.”

You swallowed thickly, nodding as tears burned in your eyes. Without a word, you dove back under the water and swam underneath the boat, staying beneath the waves as you tried to process what Dean had said.

_ This is my life now, _ you thought as you looked around. The ocean they’d put you in was practically barren and you could feel the sting of the tears in your eyes despite the fact that you were underwater.  _ I’m stuck down here forever, and they’ll abandon me as soon as they realize I’m useless to them. I’ll never see Dean again after this. _

The feeling of a hand clasping around your wrist and pulling your upwards surprised you, and you quickly yanked it from their grasp, twisting and shifting your body weight so your tail hit them as hard with as much force as possible. You heard a muffled yelp, and by the time you turned around, Dean was already swimming towards the surface. Guilt formed like a rock sinking to the bottom of your stomach as you followed him.

“What the hell?” he coughed, trying to grab onto the smooth side of the boat as he forced the water out of his windpipe.

Silently, you swam over and pulled him into your arms, giving him something to hold onto as he recovered. Once he’d stopped coughing, you carefully swam with him to the other side of the boat, returning him to his spot at the ladder.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t even think that it’d be you who grabbed me.”

“It’s fine,” Dean said as he shifted his grip on the slippery metal rungs. “I didn’t think you’d react like that.”

You nodded slightly, not meeting his eyes. Instead, you looked back at the horizon, now painted in shades of rose and gold as the sun began to set.

“Y/N, look at me,” Dean urged, and you silently turned so you were facing him again. You could feel the sadness on your face and the familiar feeling of tears threatening to form greeted you at the sight of his own sad expression.

“This doesn’t mean that your life is over. We’re gonna find something,” Dean promised.

You gave him a weak, miserable smile. “You don’t have to try and make me feel better by making promises you can’t keep,” you answered, ignoring the way your voice wobbled. “This is gonna be my life from now on, so I might as well enjoy my time with you while it lasts.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Come on, Dean. Don’t act like you’re gonna come all the way out here to hang out with me after the curse becomes permanent. I’m not stupid.”

“Hang on a second,” Dean replied, his eyebrows furrowing as he let go of the ladder, swimming over to where you were bobbing up and down in the water. “Is that what you really think? You think I’m just gonna abandon you because you turned into a mermaid? Y/N, you’re my best friend and I’ve been in love with you since the moment I saw you. I’m not gonna just…  _ leave. _ I’d rather die.”

Surprised, you stared at him before ducking under the waves again, giving yourself a moment to process what he’d said. Before you could even think it through once, however, Dean was grabbing your arms and pulling you back up to the water’s surface.

“I shouldn’t have said that, I’m sorry. That was a lot to put on you all at once,” he apologized, and you shook your head in response, still at a loss for words.

“No, it’s… It’s fine, Dean. I just… Did you mean it?”

“That I love you?” You nodded in response and Dean nodded back at you, licking his lips before saying, “Yeah, I did.”

He started to ramble about pretending he’d never said it, but you quickly tuned out his words and swam closer to him, pressing your palms flat against his chest.

“Dean,” you chuckled, and he stopped talking, meeting your eyes. “I love you too. I just never said anything because I figured you could never love me as more than a sister or a friend.”

“Sweetheart, I don’t have the kinds of dreams about my friends and family that I have about you.”

You grimaced, trying to hide the laugh that threatened to escape. “Didn’t need to know that.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Dean gave you a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I just… don’t know what to say. I never thought I’d hear you say that about me. I’ve had this conversation a million times, but your response wasn’t anything like what I could’ve made up in my head.”

“You’re one of the greatest guys I know,” you said with a smile as you slid your hands up his chest and around the back of his neck. “How could I not reply like this? I’d be crazy not to love you, Dean Winchester.”

His grin was more delighted than anything now, and you couldn’t help but notice the pink flush of Dean’s cheeks as he asked, “Does that mean I can kiss you now without it being creepy?”

You laughed and let yourself sink lower in the water for a moment so that your gills could get you the oxygen you needed from the saltwater around you. “Yes, Dean,” you chuckled. “It does.”

Dean’s smile remained as you lifted yourself closer to him once more, pressing your chest against his and letting your noses bump together before your lips touched. His legs bumped against your tail and you shivered, the feeling unlike anything before. Your eyes fluttered shut as his hands moved to your waist, pulling you even closer as his lips tucked against yours. You could taste the saltwater on his lips and, when added to the feeling of him kissing you, it was like being in heaven. 

When he finally pulled away, Dean looked as dazed as you felt. You chuckled and moved one hand to rest on his cheek, using your thumb to swipe away a water droplet rolling over his freckled skin. Before you could say anything, however, a tugging sensation made you lurch away from him.

“Y/N?” he asked, his smile gone and replaced with a confused, concerned frown.

You looked up at him, meeting his eyes as the tugging sensation came again and you let out a frightened whimper. “Dean, something’s wrong. Something’s not right.”

Dean searched your face before looking down at your tail, his eyes growing wide. Confused, you followed his gaze. Your tail—your legs—were shrouded in golden light, shimmering beneath the water’s dark surface. The sun was fully set and the light was bright enough that you had to squint in order to look at it. It finally faded away and you immediately began to sink, the sudden feeling of your bare legs beneath you jarring after swimming with the mermaid tail for so long.

“Whoa, hey!” Dean reached out and grabbed your arm, keeping you from getting a mouthful of water. 

You gasped and nodded at him thankfully, trying to get your bearings about you. “It’s gone!” you finally cried, swallowing thickly as you tried to keep your head above water. “I have legs again!”

He grinned and nodded as you began to smile. “Guess all you needed was true love’s kiss, huh?” Dean joked.

Rolling your eyes, you felt your cheeks grow warm as you let Dean guide you to the boat’s ladder. You were just about to climb up when you realized that you weren’t wearing anything beside the shirt, and you quickly backed away from Dean, keeping one hand on the side of the yacht as you treaded water a few feet away from him.

“Y/N?”

“I’m not wearing pants, Dean,” you told him, and his eyes quickly flicked down to look before returning to your face. “Don’t look!” You smacked the water, splashing him a little.

“It’s pitch black out here, Y/N! I didn’t see anything. Besides, it’s not like you’re not wearing underwear.” When you didn’t reply, Dean hesitated and then asked, “You  _ are _ wearing underwear... right?”

You didn’t answer and Dean mumbled a curse under his breath, climbing up the ladder and into the boat.

“Where are you going?” you called up after him. “Dean!”

“I saw a dresser earlier when I was looking around this thing! I’m gonna see if there’s clothes in there,” he answered after you called his name for a second time.

“Okay, well, hurry up! It’s getting cold now and I don’t really like being down here by myself…”

He didn’t reply and you waited in silence, listening hard for any noise of his return. Finally, you heard him ask,

“You alright down there?”

“Define alright,” you answered. “Did you find me clothes?”

“Yep. Climb on up and I’ll give you a towel to wrap around yourself before you go get dressed. I put the clothes in the little bathroom for you.”

Relieved, you started the ascent up the ladder, your legs shaky beneath you as you tried to keep your balance on the slippery rungs, all while the boat swayed and rocked on the waves. You were a mess by the time you reached the top, and you quickly wrapped the towel around yourself, shivering in the night air.

“Thanks,” you chattered. 

Dean was silhouetted by a light in the boat’s cabin, but you saw him nod regardless of the darkness around you. “Go get dressed, kid. I’m gonna call Sam and then we can head home so you can get a good night’s rest.”

You nodded and started to walk in the direction of the cabin, then paused and looked back at him. “Dean?” He hummed softly and lifted his head from where he was bent over picking up his clothes. “Are you gonna tell Sam about us kissing?”

“Do you not want me to?”

“No, I just… I don’t know. It’d be nice to have it be just us for a while before anyone else gets involved. That is, I mean, if you want to date me or something,” you quickly added. “If this was just a one-time thing—”

He cut you off before you could get any further on that thought. “It wasn’t. At least, it’s not if you don’t want it to be.”

“I don’t.”

“Me neither.” Dean paused and you fiddled with the top edge of the towel, pulling it tighter around yourself. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take you out to dinner before we head back to the bunker.”

You smiled to yourself, ducking your head despite the fact that he couldn’t see you. “I’d like that a lot,” you replied.

If you’d been able to see through the darkness, you would’ve seen that Dean was smiling, too. The boat was silent for a moment before Dean cleared his throat again. “I’m, uh, I’m gonna call Sam now. Maybe I can convince him to go see a movie at that old theater he wouldn’t stop talking about on our way into town.”

You chuckled at that, remembering the way Sam hadn’t been able to shut up the whole way through the city. “Okay,” you began as you started to turn back towards the bathroom. “I’ll be out in a bit, and then maybe later tonight I’ll take you up on that dinner.”

“Maybe afterwards we can kiss again?” Dean asked in reply, his voice hopeful.

You grinned wider and began walked back to the bathroom, calling over your shoulder, “We’ll see, cowboy, we’ll see.”


End file.
